1. Enrique Alasino, María José Ramírez, Mauricio Romero, Norbert Schady, David Uribe. "Learning losses during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Mexico". Economic of Education Review Volume 98, February 2024, 102492.

Abstract:

This paper presents evidence of large learning losses and partial recovery in Guanajuato, Mexico, during and after the school closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning losses were estimated using administrative data from enrollment records and by comparing the results of a census-based standardized test administered to approximately 20,000 5th and 6th graders in: (a) March 2020 (a few weeks before school closed); (b) November 2021 (2 months after schools reopened); and (c) June of 2023 (21 months after schools re-opened and over three years after the pandemic started). On average, students performed 0.2 to 0.3 standard deviations lower in Spanish and math after schools reopened, equivalent to 0.66 to 0.87 years of schooling in Spanish and 0.87 to 1.05 years of schooling in math. By June of 2023, students were able to make up for 60% of the learning loss that built up during school closures but still scored 0.08–0.11 standard deviations below their pre-pandemic levels (equivalent to 0.23–0.36 years of schooling).

2. Mauricio Romero, Juan Bedoya, Monica Yanez-Pagans, Marcela Silveyra, Rafael de Hoyos. " The effect of school grants on test scores: experimental evidence from Mexico". Economica LSE, April 5, 2024.

Abstract:

We use a randomized experiment (across 200 public primary schools in Puebla, Mexico) to study the impact of providing schools with cash grants on student test scores. Treated schools received on average ∼16 USD per student each year for two years, an increase of ∼20% in public spending per child, after teacher salaries. Overall, the grants had no impact on student test scores. Lack of a treatment effect does not seem to be driven by poor implementation or a substitution away from other inputs (e.g. household expenditure).

3. Abhijeet Singh, Mauricio Romero and Karthik Muralidharan, " COVID-19 L earning loss and recovery. Panel data evidence from India." The Journal of Human Resources. Published online before print April 08, 2024.

Abstract:

We use a panel survey of ~ 19,000 primary-school-aged children in rural Tamil Nadu to study ‘learning loss’ after COVID-19-induced school closures, and the pace of recovery after schools reopened. Students tested in December 2021 (18 months after school closures) displayed learning deficits of ~0.73σ in math and 0.34σ in language compared to identically-aged students in the same villages in 2019. Two-thirds of this deficit was made up within 6 months after schools reopened. Further, while learning loss was regressive, recovery was progressive. A government-run after-school remediation program contributed ~24% of the cohort-level recovery, likely aiding the progressive recovery.